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Briefly, I own a '98 Civic. It's the first and only car I've ever owned. I have enough money to get a newer car, but I'm sentimentally attached to it and it runs well despite having 125K miles on it. Over the years, though, people have dinged it a few times and I just left it at my elderly mother's place for a month and she hit it (, thanks, Mom), leaving a substantial scratch down to metal.
So, what to do?
First of all, before anyone says it, the car is essentially worthless and I am aware of that. If the only advice is "it's worthless," save the typing. Please take into consideration the sentimental value, like if you ever had a car that you loved, even if it was some crappy Gremlin.
Options:
1) Buy new car, trade in Civic.
2) Buy new car, donate Civic.
3) Pay money to have all dings taken out and paint redone, keep Civic and drive into ground.
Since I've never had to do any body/paint work on my car, I have no idea what costs would be, so any "guesstimates" to help me make a decision would be appreciated. However, I'd have to do a bunch of panels. I have dings on my driver-side and left passenger doors and scratches on the front fender/bumper and basically all door panels (I guess the new one also includes the actual car body). If I got the paint done, I'd want it matched back to the original. I'm OK if it would run me like $2K, potentially, but not more. (I'm not that sentimental.)
Resist the urge to put major money into the car just drive it ,i have an 01 Civic that is going strong at 208000kms,While buying a new car may sound appealing it will probably cost you $300 a month for the next 5 years,
The cost to fix it would likely be more than the car is worth. If the issues are merely cosmetic I'd drive it until it dies. It's earned its dings like I've earned my wrinkles.
If you want a new car then go ahead and buy one, keep the older one until it dies. A car that old, even with the relatively low mileage, may start to develop problems just from age with the rubber parts and even frame metals depending on where you live.
A trade in would get you next to zero from a dealer, a donation wouldn't do much for your taxes probably.
I just put a couple thousand dollars into my 2003 F150, worth around $1100, in the last three months, mostly for tie rods and steering components. My 20 year old wrapped it around a tree last week. Totalled the truck and broke his collar bone.
Do you guys have any ballpark estimates on what we're talking on the paint work? (Obviously, I have to get a real estimate from a body shop, but if the cost is outrageous then I wouldn't even bother.) I agree with the cost being more than the car, but if I kept it, I'd probably want to get it painted so that it didn't just rust away ...
When was the last time you changed the timing belt on that car?The reason i ask is if it hasnt been changed it would be a shame to sink $2K into cosmetics only to have the timing belt let go thereby requiring a new engine.
Are you making him work it off, or did you just tell him to go outside and select a branch, LOL.
He's still sort of gimped up with the collar bone, has to wear a shoulder brace except when he's in the shower. That'll be another month anyway.
I've been pretty much giving him nonstop **** though.
You know it could have been worse, he really messed that truck up, centered the tree, pushed the dash back over a foot but he walked away from it.
As it is, he just joined his brother and both sisters in the "Totaled one of Dad's vehicles" club.
The list:
Brother: 1998 Taurus
Sister 1: 2003 Cavalier, 2003 Focus
Sister 2: 1991 Lumina, 2013 Fit (technically that was her car although we threw some money at her when she bought it)
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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The cheapest, low quality paint jobs advertise $399. They will do a quick sanding and mask, then paint, and it will last 2-3 years with luck. That does not include any repairs at all. Any scratch or ding takes time and labor is expensive. Since none of us can see the car, why not just take it in for estimates? Then you can determine whether it's worth it to you or you can bear to drive it as is. With only 125k miles you may go another 4-5 years, though at 18 years old there will be some upcoming issues caused by age, not miles, such as metal fatigue, rust, and cracking rubber and plastic parts. Your Mom reminds me of my (late) mother-in-law. Her method of parallel parking was to hit the car in front, hit the car in back, then move to a point in between them. Fortunately it only resulted in broken license plate frames, but finally she bought me a dozen of them.
An 18yo car with only 125kmi is an excellent beater since it has many years of service left (if maintained appropriately) and is certainly worth something.
Don't fix the cosmetic stuff ... it's nice to have a car that you don't have to worry about future dings and dents.
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, thanks, Mom), leaving a substantial scratch down to metal.
